WE are just three articles into the ‘National Pioneers’ series here at Boxing News, having heard of the struggles of Slovakian and Zimbabwean fighters prior, but already we can, without doubt, declare that this week’s country is the one that will have the highest barriers to the success of all.
In this instalment, we look at Iceland, a country in which professional boxing has been illegal for 69 years, but one man is hoping that his success can change his homeland’s opinion on the sport and convince the Nordic nation to overturn their longstanding ban.
Boxing as a sport was banned in Iceland back in 1956 after one of the country’s leading doctors grew fearful of the potential brain damage that could be caused, although sceptics in the nation believe that the decision may have been made due to the threat that skilled punchers would cause to the police force.
A bill was passed on a quiet Monday morning in a half-empty room in the Althing, the oldest parliament on the planet, and the law would not be re-considered for almost half a century.
After years of fighting for the legalisation of the sport, 2002 saw Iceland loosen its grip and allow for the amateur version of the sport to take place on Icelandic soil, prompting the opening of numerous amateur boxing clubs, which began to develop fighters domestically.
Yet, to this day, prize-fighting remains banned in Iceland and those who wish to compete professionally must do so elsewhere. As a result, there are just two active Icelandic boxers campaigning professionally, Emin Kadri Eminsson, 1-0, and heavyweight hopeful Kolbeinn Kristinsson, 17-0 (11 KOs).
Speaking exclusively with the latter, undefeated Kristinsson explained his goal of changing Icelandic law by achieving on the world stage and detailed the financial and promotional obstacles that come with fighting away from Iceland.
“There is still a generation of old politicians who deem boxing as violent, so it’s still an uphill battle fighting for professional legalisation. I believe something like that [me winning a world title] must happen for it to be overturned, I don’t have faith that parliament will do it on their own.
“I’ve had about 40 amateur fights and 17 professional fights. So, the main obstacle is fighting and training partners. Out of 40 amateur fights, more than 25 were abroad, which means I’d buy flights, hotels, and food just to maybe win an amateur fight in a different country, and in the pro game, it is the same.
“I can’t fight in Iceland, so I have to do it in other countries with all the costs that includes, then because there is no boxing heritage in Iceland, you kind of go under the radar for promoters.
“Promoters overseas are fonder of signing native/local fighters. So, getting fights as a pro has also been a challenge, paying for all my expenses and a lot of times having to raise the money to pay for the opponent as well. “
Though let down by promotional nationalism and spectator patriotism elsewhere, Kristinsson has still felt the love in his own country, who support ‘The Ice Bear’s’ quest to bring professional boxing back, helping him raise money to travel and fight around the world proudly waving the Icelandic flag.
“The positives of being on an island is that there is more of a supporting community here, so with me doing something extraordinary, companies and people want to help, and they have got my back.
“I can raise money through sponsorships, sell logos on my fight suit for example, even though the mere principle is that they get something in return, I know they are just helping me out.”
Nevertheless, despite a lack of promotional backing, 36-year-old Kristinsson has still impressed to a level where he has been deemed fit to spar and help prepare the likes of Tyson Fury and Joseph Parker in training camps, racking up 17 wins whilst fighting in six different countries in his career thus far.
Encouragingly, whilst never before facing opposition near the level of those former heavyweight world champions, Kristinsson admits that he came away from those sparring sessions even more confident that he can one day reach the peak of the division himself, undeterred by the quality of the elite operators.
“It wasn’t like I was learning anything new because my coach is like a professor when it comes to boxing. It was more a case of learning which things matter more than others and realising the importance of some small adjustments.
“Skill for skill, I was at their level and not inferior at anything. Being there confirmed to myself that I am indeed at that level and that my dream and goal of becoming a world champion is not a delusional one – it can become reality.”
Motivated by rounds against the best on the planet, Kristinsson has since taken charge of his own career and personally pursued and bought fights in Europe, to a point where he is expecting imminent confirmation for a fourth fight in 12 months; a feat he has not achieved since 2015.
Confident as a result of his newfound momentum, the bearded powerhouse went on to reveal his audacious plan to announce himself on the world stage and challenge for world honours within the next couple of years.
“The ultimate goal is to win this fight [in April/May], get a bigger fight, fight on a Riyadh Season card, one or two bigger fights at the world level and then a world title fight within the next 18 months, maybe two years.”
Should Kristinsson conquer the heavyweight division, pressure would assumably be piled upon the Althing to lift their boxing ban, possibly allowing Kristinsson for a utopian and historic homecoming, but even if he were to lift the coveted heavyweight crown aloft, the towering Icelandic is not convinced that the powers that be would completely sway.
“It would be very cool but although I see that [headlining an Icelandic card] happening in the near future, the chance of them flat out allowing professional boxing is extremely low.”
Luckily, Kristinsson explained that he is hopeful that there could be a workaround in the pipeline that would permit him to fight professionally in his home country in the future, but for now, his attention is firmly fixed on what will be his toughest test to date, as he gears up for a showdown with a fellow unbeaten heavyweight this spring – the first step of his ambitious two-year plan.
